


No Bold Moves

by jaggedwolf



Category: The Strange Case of Starship Iris (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fakeout Makeout, Getting Together, Pining, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-03-30 22:25:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19036834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaggedwolf/pseuds/jaggedwolf
Summary: In a different world, some fences didn’t get mended.Too bad. That would make pretending to be engaged for this job a lot easier.





	No Bold Moves

**Author's Note:**

  * For [qikiqtarjuaq](https://archiveofourown.org/users/qikiqtarjuaq/gifts).



Other Violet launched into a description of the target as soon as she was patched in to the _Iris’s_ comms. “Kenneth Gunawan. Age thirty-five. Inherited most of his wealth from his late mother. Currently resides in Sumatra, Ear-”

“Pause on the briefing,” interrupted Sana. She fanned out the five cards in her hand, a crease in her forehead that made Violet uneasy. “There’s an issue with the ident cards.”

“What?” Arkady scowled, holding up a card between her index and middle finger. “Mine’s fine. I scanned all of them at the forger’s, managed that much before we had to run out the back door. They’ll pass any verifiers our guy’s got.”

Violet resisted the urge to give Arkady another once-over. Sana and Arkady had said they’d escaped the fiasco at the forger’s without getting injured, and she’d have to believe them. She studied the picture of the target someone had pulled up on the room’s largest screen. Broad-shouldered and bright-eyed, the man in the image was beaming, not an imperfection to be seen in his light brown complexion. 

Sana nodded at Arkady. “You’re good. As are Brian, RJ and Park.” She handed out three cards to each of their owners. Brian glanced at his before sliding it into his sweatshirt pocket. Park studied his with a frown. RJ took theirs with a wary look on their face, as if it might bite them. 

Two cards were left in Sana’s hand. They could only be Sana’s and Violet’s. Unsettled as she was, Violet waited for Sana’s explanation.

“Some of us don’t have a visual, Captain.” Other Violet’s disgruntled voice crackled over the comms. “Mind sharing?”

“Of course, and we do appreciate finding us a forger in this corner of space.”

“But?” asked other Violet.

Sana continued, “The names on Violet’s ident card and mine are swapped around. Luckily, these names, it wouldn’t stand out. Unfortunately-”

“We’re the two whose covers are on the invite for the party, and your photo isn’t with the right name,” said Arkady, frustrated. “I said we shouldn’t commit to shit before we had IDs.”

“Seeding new identities that the target’s security wouldn’t see right through takes a little more time than what you use for one of your little smuggling runs,” other Violet replied. “This does pose an issue. The names have already spread through the channels they needed to. Even got one of those rags that do that sort of thing to publish a short piece on your engagement. Any ideas?”

“Easy, I turn up solo.” Arkady shrugged. “Say the engagement’s off - they’ll eat up that drama - say Sana’s unwell, there are a billion excuses.”

“Not acceptable,” said other Violet. “As I’ve said, comms and recording devices are banned at this party. The plan is no guns, no weapons-”

“Okay, a bit of a challenge.” A cocky tone entered Arkady’s voice. “I’m still the best liar here, I can make them buy it. Besides, things go south, always easier for one person to slip away than two.”

“She’s right,” said Sana, “You did it say it would be purely observational, and I would hate for us to miss a crucial opportunity.”

“There are always risks involved. Patel’s skillset may suit her for this, but we don’t send people in alone,” other Violet replied. 

Arkady crossed her arms. “Touching.”

“No one plays the hero,” other Violet gritted out.

Another retort was about to fly out of Arkady’s mouth when Sana gave her a look, one that clearly said _stand down_. Violet had only seen that happen a couple of times, but just like every time it had in the past, Arkady relented.

“Um,” said Violet, finally seeing a chance to speak, her grip tight around her unused pen, “so one of the names on the invite is on my ident card?” Sana nodded. “And Violet, the info your people seeded, there’s no photos there, right?”

“Correct.”

“Well, what if I took Sana’s place?” asked Violet.

“What?” snapped Arkady, “You can’t be serious.”

“Why not?” asked Violet.

“Because-you-” blustered Arkady “-you’re a _biologist_.”

“So was I,” said other Violet flatly. Violet couldn’t tell if that was a statement of support or simple fact.

“Really, Arkady?” said Violet.

“You’ve been a regular IGR citizen the longest out of any of us, they have the most intel on you. What if he recognizes you from some, I don’t know, very traitorous citizen bulletin?” replied Arkady.

“Unlikely,” said other Violet. “The IGR hasn’t spread information on your group beyond their own people. He’s merely a contractor. ”

“See?” Violet felt vindicated. She pressed on, “And I did okay on Elion, and New Jupiter-”

Violet paused, barely holding back a grimace. Out of everyone on the crew, perhaps Arkady would be the least convinced by either incident. 

“Those were at most minutes,” argued Arkady, “That’s different from keeping up a cover for an entire night, with no comms!”

“Do you have a better solution?” asked Violet, her voice getting louder to match Arkady’s.

“Yeah, I just said it!”

“Arkady. Violet.” Sana turned her head to each of them in turn, a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

“Thank you, captain,” said other Violet.

Brian winced. Violet couldn’t blame him. The two of them had been getting worse. Either Violet and Arkady barely spoke to each other, or they kept snapping at each other in crew meetings like this one until Sana had to intervene. 

Violet supposed it was an improvement that at least this argument was ostensibly on-topic. 

“I’d say Violet’s handled herself well enough under pressure. It’s a large enough event that the two of you could slip out at any sign of real danger.” Sana pinned Arkady with her gaze. “Any other blockers to Violet taking my place that you want to mention?”

“No,” said Arkady sullenly, leaning back in her seat.

“Violet, are you sure about this?” asked Sana, her gaze steady. She wouldn’t hold it against Violet if she bailed, Violet knew.

“Yes, I’m sure,” said Violet.

“Then it’s settled. In two weeks, Violet and Arkady will attend Kenneth Gunawan’s party, and see what they find out,” said Sana. “Other Violet?”

“Sounds fine to me,” said other Violet. “Now, as I was saying…”

Other Violet continued the briefing. One of Gunawan’s many companies contracted for the IGR - uniform, gear, anything their officers might need to wear. He’d used that connection to leak IGR intel to other Violet’s people.

Recently, however, that intel had started to become less reliable. Possibly on the level of sabotage. They were starting to think Gunawan might be playing double-agent, hence asking Arkady and Sana to infiltrate his party to see what they could find out.

Violet took a break from taking notes to steal a glance at Arkady. She was still glaring at a wall with her arms crossed as she listened. Violet was no stranger to being underestimated, but it stung, coming from Arkady. Violet could do this. She was hard-working, quick on the uptake, and excellent at inhaling large amounts of information. She wouldn’t be a liability.

She’d prove that to Arkady.

.

_It should have been the gunshot itself or Arkady’s blood-soaked thigh._

_It should have been the awful pained sound Arkady made._

_Yet, no, Violet knew as it happened what would stick in her memory long after she watched General Frederick shoot Arkady._

_It was the look on Arkady’s face._

_Her lips parted in surprise, her eyebrows darted up, a dozen other twitches of facial muscles that all summed up to something Violet had never seen before - Arkady’s face, completely unguarded._

_Another terrifying addition to the whole situation, really, as if General Frederick and her gun and her stated opinion on torture weren’t enough on their own._

_Then the general asked her question, and before Violet knew it she was rambling about uniforms and accents and Pygmalion-_

_It would be convenient, if Violet could say she spilled because she evaluated the situation and determined the risk unacceptable, because she knew Park and Krejjh were barrelling closer with every second, because distraction was a viable plan._

_The truth was much more pathetic._

_She panicked._

_Her focus narrowed to rate of blood loss and dead Krejjh and that gun and General Frederick’s face, because if the general was looking at Violet while she talked then she wasn’t looking at Arkady and that meant she was far less likely to fire again and in those few seconds Violet would have said anything, done anything at all._

_And Jesus, the disappointment in Arkady’s voice as Violet caved so easily, as she proved she wasn’t quite up to snuff after all?_

_Violet doubted she’d get that out of her head either._

.

Arkady took a step back to assess as much of herself as she could in the tiny bathroom mirror. Classic grey suit, stark white shirt, deep blue tie, changing up her hair - she looked every bit the corporate heir she needed to. Even the scar would work with the right story behind it. She’d worked on that collection of tales for years.

The clothes clung to Arkady’s body. All their connect for tonight’s clothes had to work off of were their measurements and some minor notes, but they had come through.

Good. This circle of people, even something as small as fit could stand out.

Giving one last grimace at her hair, Arkady left for the airlock. Easy, languid strides. Tonight she was someone who’d had all the time in the world to do what she wished, and no notion that she wouldn’t be able to. As comforting a persona to wrap herself in as any other.

“You look great, First Mate Patel!” cried Krejjh, but a Dwarnian assessment of human formal clothing wasn’t exactly a stellar endorsement.

Thankfully, Brian agreed. “Very spiffy.”

Park looked up at her and nodded, turning his attention back to his tablet. RJ had taken a quick glance while pretending they hadn’t.

Arkady took the empty spot on the bench next to Park, which put her right opposite Krejjh. They squinted at her. “How many layers is that?”

“Too many,” replied Arkady, scowling at the constriction of the two sets of sleeves. Then again, all these layers, no guns, she didn’t look nearly as threatening as she normally did. Might make this whole mess easier on Violet. And help with the job. “Where’s Liu and Tripathi?”

“Violet’s still getting dressed, I think the captain’s helping her?” suggested Brian.

“We’re actually all set,” said Sana’s voice. Arkady’s gaze settled on Sana walking towards them before it leapt to the hallway behind her. Empty. A few more seconds passed, and then Violet appeared from around the corner-

_Goddamn_ , went Arkady’s traitorous mind.

The deep blue dress looked frustratingly good on Violet. Elegant as she walked towards the group. It also left Violet’s arms bare, leading Arkady to the very unhelpful thought that she’d never seen Violet in anything sleeveless before, and a firm conviction to keep her eyes clear of said arms. Easier said than done. She was rapidly losing faith that there was anywhere safe to look, her eyes randomly going to the purse Violet was clutching, fingers curled around it.

Face, right, face was a safe bet. Could have looked there first. Her bob was even neater than usual, not a strand out of place on either side. Violet crossed her arms with a resolute expression on her face. “Well, then. What’s the verdict?”

Arkady watched as the rest of the group subjected Violet to a chorus of compliments. A smile crept onto Violet’s face, her cheeks pink. Violet turned to Arkady with a raised eyebrow.

“What?” asked Arkady, her mouth dry.

“How do I look?”

“Uh, great?” fumbled Arkady. She nodded. “For the party, I mean. You’ll fit right in.”

“That’s a relief.” Violet’s shoulders relaxed, but she kept looking at Arkady.

“Something in my teeth, Liu?” asked Arkady.

“No it’s just...odd seeing your hair slicked back like that.” Violet’s smile widened slightly.

“Don’t get used to it.” Arkady made a face. “Or do, I guess you’re the one stuck looking at it for the next few hours.”

“Could we go over the plan again?” other Violet said dryly over the comms. It would’ve been nice for any of the others to mention that other Violet was already patched in. 

They did as she asked. Violet and Arkady would leave the comms in their car. There was an agreed upon time by which they’d let the others know that they were safe and that they were on their way back. Violet and Arkady only had to keep their eyes and ears open, and if Gunawan talked to them, so be it, but they didn’t need to seek him out themselves, merely keep track of who he spoke to. No bold moves, as other Violet kept saying, as if the two of them were secretly plotting a heist of the guy’s mansion.

Other Violet finally logged off the comms, wishing them luck. Arkady looked around, everyone’s faces a mixture of boredom and concern from having to repeatedly hear about this plan for the past few weeks. Sana looked the most concerned out of all of them.

“Don’t make that face,” Arkady said to her, “All we’re going to do is eat way too much food and watch a rich guy schmooze. We’ll be fine.”

Sana’s voice was filled with amusement. “That’s usually my line.”

“You’re a bad influence,” grumbled Arkady.

Sana shook her head. “I know, it goes without saying, but be careful in there and look out for each other. I trust the both of you to make the right calls.”

“Thanks, captain,” said Violet.

Arkady merely nodded and stood up. “Liu.”

“Let’s do this.”

They bid farewell to the others, and went through the first set of airlock doors. 

“Got your ident card?” asked Arkady.

Violet gave her a look of disbelief. “No, why on earth would I bring the one thing identifying me as the person I’m pretending to be tonight, I’d definitely leave that behind. Certainly sounds like something I’d do.”

If sarcasm could injure, Arkady was pretty sure she’d be bleeding. She kept looking at Violet.

“Seriously?” Violet rolled her eyes and pulled the card out of her purse. “Do you have yours?”

Arkady pulled hers out of a suit pocket, stepping closer to hold hers next to Violet’s. They both looked at their cards for a second, cards they’d already noted all the necessary details of.

A hint of humor to her voice, Violet said, “Is it just me, or did we get some really white names this time?”

_Alexandra Stanton_ , read the card in Arkady’s hand. _Margaret Nelson_ , read Violet’s.

“Guess so,” said Arkady. Violet and Arkady put away the cards. Arkady offered her arm out to Violet, keeping her voice neutral. No need to get on the wrong foot before they’d even entered the mansion. “Ready for the party, Nellie?”

“If you are,” said Violet, her expression light but her eyes intent, “Alex.” 

“Nah,” said Arkady, “call me Lex. More of a rich asshole ring to it.”

.

_In Arkady’s opinion, few places on the Rumor were as comfortable as the beanbag chair. She sank into it. Might as well be comfortable while she reckoned with the decision she voted for, alcohol and the heady rush of a good monologue wearing off. Better to be alone in the medbay - she was not giving Jeeter the satisfaction of catching her having second thoughts on Plan B._

_There were far worse plans she’d risked death for. Sana would call that a motivating thought._

_“I didn’t expect to find you here.” Violet’s voice. Soft and careful._

_Shit, worse option than Jeeter. Arkady couldn’t tell if she was too sober for this conversation, or the opposite._

_“Sorry, still not used to this being a room we actually use.” Arkady made to get up, glancing at Violet’s strangely focused face. “I’ll get out of your hair.”_

_“No, um,” said Violet, stepping into the room. “I was looking for you. And, I’m in no shape to be using anything here, not tonight.”_

_“What, you forget a step in that long list of instructions?” Honestly, it was like Violet thought Arkady had never changed her own bandages before, the way she’d gone on about it._

_Though, it was kind of nice to know what some of those steps did._

_“No,” A familiar look of irritation flashed across Violet’s face. “I. I wanted to thank you for backing me up there, when we were arguing over Plan B.”_

_“Uh, Liu? So did everyone else.” Arkady leaned back into the beanbag._

_Violet wrinkled her nose. “I think it’s safe to say you were particularly persuasive.”_

_“Nothing that wasn’t true.” For once._

_Violet looked at her silently, long enough that Arkady swore she was about to ask another pointless question, like if she really hadn’t seen a tree before she was eighteen._

_“Look, about today, and the gunshots-” said Violet._

_Tired resentment shot through Arkady. “Can we not?”_

_Violet opened her mouth._

_“I promise you, I have so much more on my mind than you not being okay with all this.” Arkady gestured at the holsters scattered across her body. Not the height of gun safety, armed while drinking and lounging on beanbags, but most of her life definitely hadn’t followed any gun-safety guidelines she’d heard of._

_“Not your fault, Liu.” Arkady stood up, heading out. She paused at the doorway. Specific enough for Violet, vague enough for the IGR agents listening in. “Just. This line of work, you never know what you might end up seeing. Don’t let it shake you in the moment.”_

_._

After they got past security, the only thing stopping Violet from staring at the mansion’s high-vaulted ceilings was the very real chance of her tripping on her own feet. Better not risk it. The main party room was bigger than any room Violet had been in. It was filled with people, food, music from some unseen sources, patrolling waiters ever-ready to hand out champagne or snatch up empty glasses and plates. 

It was loud too, enough to overwhelm Violet a little. She realized, then, following the inclining of Arkady’s head in a new direction after some passing conversation with strangers, that it had been months since she was last in a room with more than ten people in it. A strange thought. 

“We’re good,” said Arkady, pocketing the small device she’d been holding in her hand since they’d left the car. “Seems like Gunawan wasn’t lying about deactivating any recording devices during the party.”

The invite had said as much, along with an invitation for guests to bring their own scanners to confirm for themselves. Something about Gunawan wanting his guests to be “truly present.”

A waiter appeared out of nowhere beside them, dressed in the same black-and-gold waistcoat ensemble as the rest of them, and proffered a platter of appetizers. Violet shook her head. Arkady took two shrimp cocktails, barely glancing at the waiter, who melted back into the crowd. Arkady had led the two of them to a corner of the room, everyone else far too busy talking to each other or calling over waiters to pay any attention to them.

“I didn’t think you’d eat or drink anything here.” Violet looked around them. Again, still no sign of Gunawan. 

“Even I’m not that paranoid. We got through the front door. Our guy’s got too much money to play games like poison, would’ve thrown us out or killed us if they found a problem. Besides,” said Arkady, smirking, “I am not passing up the opportunity to eat on someone else’s dime. Sure you don’t want one?”

“I’ll pass.” Violet didn’t have much of an appetite, her stomach uncomfortably tense.

“Suit yourself.” Arkady devoured the food in a flash, as she always did. 

“How are you feeling?” asked Violet.

“About the shrimp? Uh, it’d take a little longer than that if they were poisoned, though-”

“No,” interrupted Violet, her voice softening. “I mean, I know I haven’t been with you guys that long, but I can’t imagine “no weapons, no comms” is something you deal with too often.”

Arkady’s casual demeanor didn’t slip. “I guess I feel a little naked.”

Violet snorted.

“What?” demanded Arkady.

“You’re more wrapped up than I’ve ever seen you.” Not that Violet was complaining. There were more than enough details at this party for her brain to latch onto without adding Arkady’s arms to the mix. Those had already derailed too many a thought back on the ship.

Though, cleaned up Arkady wasn’t too bad a look either, the jacket a little tight. Again, an unuseful trail of thoughts. Pay attention to the crowd, Violet. 

“Trust me, I’d trade this jacket for a knife.”

“You would,” said Violet.

“Yeah, I would. Are you really surprised?” Arkady suddenly sounded resentful. Then her gaze across the room stilled, and her voice dropped to a mutter. “Looks like someone wants to chat.”

A woman in a sleek black dress strode towards them. “Alexandra Stanton?”

“The one and only.” A lazy smile crossed Arkady’s face.

“Jessica Templeton. I’m a reporter-”

“No comment.” Arkady let out a laugh. “My father taught me that much.”

“I cover the fashion industry. I assure you, I don’t have much interest in the Stanton investment firm’s secrets.” Jessica arched an eyebrow. “I’m merely curious about you yourself. Bhask is on the other side of the galaxy, how do you know Kenneth?”

“Not as well as you do, if you’re on a first name basis,” said Arkady, no tension to her smile.

It was unreal, watching Arkady slip into character. Here, back at the door, jobs she’d listened in on, even looking back on those memories of Kay Grisham with her current knowledge. By all objective measures, Arkady’s voice was unchanged - cadence, pitch, even vocabulary. 

And yet. 

Something snapped, almost sizzled in the air when Arkady became someone new. A shift in her eyes or a tweak to her posture or maybe something far beyond Violet’s grasp. Definitely beyond her grasp. Compared to Arkady, Francesca Chen and Officer Wu had felt like Violet was a child playing at being a ghost, barely hidden under a paper-thin bedsheet. 

Past the awe, all it made Violet want to do was peel off every layer of Arkady’s she could, find out for herself how many more there were. Uncover what lay underneath. 

“Anyway,” continued Arkady and holding her hand, breaking Violet out of her thoughts, “who knows why the old man sends me anywhere. I say yes, like the good daughter, and at least I get to show Nellie here a good time, right?” 

Violet smiled sweetly. She hoped she hadn’t missed anything important. She interlaced her fingers with Arkady’s, the latter’s calluses rubbing against her skin. “I could hardly complain.”

“Of course. Congratulations on the engagement, by the way. And I have to say, I love the tie-dress coordination,” said Jessica. “An understated classic when pulled off well.”

Huh. Violet looked at Arkady’s tie and then her own dress. The exact same shade of blue.

Jessica noticed Violet’s surprise. “Not on purpose? A lovely coincidence then.”

“Sweetheart, why do you think I chose this tie?” Arkady leaned her head in close, her smile turned playful, and Violet’s breath caught in her throat. “Blue isn’t my color, but it’s definitely yours.”

Jessica coughed awkwardly. “I should give you two lovebirds your space.”

“Maybe you should,” said Violet, her eyes not leaving Arkady’s.

.

_Arkady hadn’t said anything since answering Violet’s initial set of questions. She’d simply hunched her shoulders and complied with however Violet needed her to move her body. Violet would be worried it was shock, if she hadn’t already assessed Arkady to be fully alert and present. She just didn’t feel like speaking, apparently._

_Violet rattled on and on herself, knowing no other way to channel her worry and anger and a whole set of other feelings at the sight of Arkady bloodied, but made sure to limit herself to speaking on Arkady’s injuries and treatments._

_When Violet applied the antiseptic, Arkady made no sound, only screwed up her face. Could’ve sworn that would’ve gotten some commentary out of her. It only made Violet more certain that Arkady would bolt mid-way if Violet strayed off-topic._

_There were a million questions on Violet’s mind, between everything she’d pieced together about Cresswin from her own research and things the others had let slip. It was becoming rather uncomfortable, knowing so much about someone who clearly wished Violet didn’t know her at all._

_She’d have to live with that. Patient care took priority over her own curiosity. Then again, Violet had left behind the paramedic life for more research. Maybe, in the end, it was only answers that would satisfy Violet, and one day she’d crack, ill-timed words spilling out of her mouth once more._

_Not today. Violet kept her thoughts to herself, a well-trained reflex, and gave Arkady instructions on keeping the injured areas clean._

.

Good, that got rid of the reporter, thought Arkady. A nice side-benefit to their cover. No one liked being ignored. Especially not the sort of person that got invited to this party. Still, the reporter’s movement would draw the attention of others to their corner, so Arkady didn’t break eye contact with Violet until Violet herself looked away. 

Arkady drew her head back. “Would you like to walk around?”

“Sure,” said Violet.

They weaved their way through the room, keeping an eye out for Gunawan. Arkady stole glances at Violet to see how she was doing. Violet had gotten through that first interaction fine. It wasn’t like Arkady expected her to fail. It was that pretending on Elion, on New Jupiter, those had been sprints compared to tonight’s marathon. Lower stakes, sure, but still a lot to put on Violet.

In one of those glances Arkady found Violet stealing a look herself. Not at Arkady’s face, so their gazes didn’t cross, but at her tie, the corners of her lips tugging upwards briefly. Not a smile, barely even a hint of a smile, and yet Arkady felt a rush of warmth in her chest. It was ridiculous, how much she wanted to make Violet smile.

She could use that. Like how she’d already used asking for her tie to match the color of Violet’s dress.

Sana had been, well, Sana about tonight, plaguing Arkady with an apology for having to do this, like it’d be some great, noble sacrifice on Arkady’s part. 

It really wasn’t. 

As usual, Sana thought too highly of her. Back on Cresswin, the theatre troupe hadn’t had an official motto. But if did, Arkady thought, it would be that if you weren’t going to get something in this life, all the more reason to relish pretending you already had it. 

Violet’s mask over the usual hesitant face she had on when dealing with Arkady didn’t hurt either. Not that Arkady blamed her. Seeing someone hurt someone like that? Of course it changed how you saw them. Not every civilian could be like Sana or Brian about those things. It’d be shitty to expect that. 

Tonight, she’d settle for Violet pretending. She tugged Violet’s hand, about to suggest a new direction when Violet spoke first.

“Lex, darling, I have to try that chocolate fountain,” said Violet, a pleading look on her face.

Darling, definitely forgetting she’d ever heard that one. Arkady’s eyes landed on said chocolate fountain, and sure enough, a few feet away stood Kenneth Gunawan in a dark red suit, deep in conversation with the group of people around him. 

“An excellent choice,” said Arkady, and they made their way to the table. Their backs were to Gunawan as they stabbed tiny pieces of fruit with tiny sticks, apparently the thing to do here, and listened to the conversation. Inane business talk.

“-and that’s how we closed the Vaz deal,” he finished happily. The group surrounding him laughed uproariously as if he’d told a very funny joke. Arkady and Violet shared an incredulous look. 

“Kenneth,” said a new voice. Female, steely. Arkady glanced back to see a woman slightly shorter than Gunawan step towards him, her dark brown hair in a tight bun, her eyes dark and hard, lines on her face underneath them. Under the bright chandelier lights, the medals on her full dress uniform gleamed.

Shit. Under her breath, Arkady said, “Don’t look, but I think that’s an IGR LC talking.”

“LC?” asked Violet.

“Lieutenant-Colonel.”

“Colonel Martinez,” greeted Gunawan. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Business as usual, I’m afraid.”

“James, do you mind showing the rest of these fine people to that ice sculpture in the other room? The one I was talking about,” said Gunawan. He sounded distracted. Another glance back showed a pale, skinny man leading away most of the group. “I’m sorry, my friends, you know how it is. Who am I to turn down an opportunity to help out our dear republic? Always more uniforms to be made. Go, be free, I’ll be back before you know it.”

LC Martinez asked, “How’s your garden doing?”

“The roses are in bloom, finally. Shall we?”

Garden. What could garden be code for, think, Arkady, think. She chanced another look. Gunawan had offered his arm out, LC Martinez had taken it, and two of them were walking towards the glass doors. Oh. An actual garden. LC Martinez would be of interest to other Violet’s people.

“Well?” whispered Violet.

“What?”

Violet looked hesitant for a second, and then determined. A pattern Arkady had seen too many times to not know what came next. It said unflattering things about Arkady, how much she enjoyed watching Violet’s face go through that. Violet asked, “Aren’t we going to follow them?”

“We don’t want to be too obvious. No bold moves, remember?” Arkady hissed back.

Violet put her plate down. “If I wasn’t here, you’d follow them.”

“...Maybe.”

“Then we’re going,” said Violet firmly, and tugged on Arkady’s hand. 

Arkady let herself be led, tossing a chocolate-covered piece of fruit into her mouth as they left the table.

.

_Arkady threw the packet of throat powder on the kitchen table. Typed and sent a quick message off. No need to give Liu even more opportunities to strain her voice. Arkady should leave the kitchen, give her space._

_There was some time before Violet would get here. Arkady wandered over to the greenhouse, her movements rote as she opened it and made herself some mint tea. The tea was cool enough to drink when the sound of a cough startled her._

_Violet poured the throat power into her cup of coffee. Almost as terrifying a sight as the questioning look in her eyes. She pointed at the greenhouse._

_Ah. “Tripathi made it. Ask her how it works,” said Arkady._

_Saying that was a fun reminder that Tripathi’s been off-kilter ever since they changed course, and that should be what’s gnawing at Arkady, not Liu having a sore throat. It was likely only a sore throat. IGR regs and a normal childhood probably meant Violet was safe from most of the deadly possibilities._

_Violet took a big gulp of her drink, if it could be called that, and then spoke, her voice crystal clear. “What plants do you have in there?”_

_See? Violet was fine._

_Tempting question to answer, though Arkady knew better than that. Violet had a way of escalating a conversation to some very inconvenient places, and no one needed a repeat of the last time._

_“Feel free to see for yourself,” said Arkady, taking her cup of tea and leaving the kitchen._

.

A chilly breeze rushed past as the garden doors shut behind them. Violet rubbed her shoulders in a meager attempt to warm them up. The quiet of the dimly lit garden was a stark contrast to the party inside. A paved path led from the mansion to a maze made out of hedges, no one else to be seen.

“Cold?” asked Arkady.

“No.”

“You know, you do get to be cold.”

“Thanks for your permission.” Violet nodded her head in the direction of the path. 

“Yeah.” Arkady stared at the maze, her dark eyes unreadable. “Stay close to me.”

It was even dimmer in the maze. Quieter somehow, too. All Violet could hear was the sound of her own breathing and Arkady’s. No hints of the party they’d left behind, or of Gunawan and the IGR officer. Arkady insisted on leading, the two making their way through corridor after corridor lined by tall hedges. 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to hold my hand here,” muttered Arkady, as they took another turn, “Not like anyone’s watching.”

Right. Violet released her vice-like grip on Arkady’s hand, missing the warmth of it as soon as she did. Arkady ran hot, and Violet had found herself filing that fact away as she had so many others. “Sorry, guess I was worried about getting lost in the maze.”

“It’s not a maze.” Arkady’s pace didn’t slow. “It’s a labyrinth. There’s only one path to follow, no choices for us to make.”

“Convenient,” said Violet. Silence fell again as they kept going. A few more minutes passed.

“You need to do better.” The IGR officer’s voice was a fierce whisper, coming through the hedge on their right. A hedge that ended only several feet ahead of them. They were near the center of the labyrinth.

Violet caught Arkady’s eyes, nodding to let her know she’d heard the voice too.

A low-pitched grunt followed the officer’s words, the hedge also shaking. Arkady mouthed _she’s threatening him_.

“I know, of course,” said Gunawan, nervous, “but a man in my position, there’s only so quickly I can act, so quickly I can-”

“Shh,” hushed the officer. “Even hedges can have ears, these days.”

Irrationally, Violet thought of the nanoswarm. No, they’d taken care of the only sample the IGR had their hands on, Park and RJ had confirmed that much. 

Gunawan’s voice turned joking. “I pay them well enough to forget what they might hear.” 

“There’s always someone willing to pay more,” she snapped. 

Something was weird about this conversation. They’d expected some kind of contact with the IGR, and sure, maybe a single officer was unusual, but that wasn’t it, Violet thought. The hedge shook again, bending further towards them this time, and Violet stumbled backwards away from it.

A loud crack filled the air.

Violet looked down at the branch she’d just stepped on, her throat suddenly dry. Oh, god. 

“What was that?” asked the officer, suspicious. Heavy footsteps thudded on the other side of the hedge.

Oh, this was bad.

“Liu!” hissed Arkady, her voice urgent.

Yes, Arkady was here, and there was a plan if things went wrong. Granted, the plan was run like hell, but the path back was so very long and the distance the officer and Gunawan had to travel so very short. Nevertheless, Violet spun to run anyway, when a powerful tug on her hand spun her right back round.

The footsteps kept thudding.

“What are you doing?” whispered Violet.

“Not enough time.” Arkady’s eyes flickered around them before relaxing as they met Violet’s. “Catch me.”

“Wha-”

“Catch me.” Arkady grabbed on to her, her fingers digging into the flesh of Violet’s upper arms, and fell back. 

“Ar-” Violet dropped her purse in her fumbling attempt to catch Arkady. She barely managed to, her arms looping around Arkady’s torso, her leg awkwardly stepping forward to balance them both. Arkady’s face was only a few inches away from hers, now, and it was hard to make out the expression on it, Violet’s fallen hair partially blocking the already dim light. It could be a grin. It could be a glare.

Arkady somehow leveraged her hands up from Violet’s arms to around her neck, and when she pulled herself close was when Violet finally understood what she was doing. That was really smart, actually. They hadn’t talked about it - doubted that conversation would’ve gone any better than their others - but that was the benefit of their cover. People didn’t question how ridiculous couples could be.

Violet readied herself for a kiss that never came. Instead, Arkady’s mouth lurched past Violet’s to murmur into her ear, her breath warm. “Good catch. They’ll be along in a little bit, so you’ll only have to hold me for a little longer.”

Arkady’s thumb rubbed along the skin under Violet’s ear. All part of the act. That didn’t make it any less reassuring. Arkady was good at that. Making Violet feel safe, and then dismissing it like it meant nothing.

“See, I told you, nothing to worry about,” said Gunawan, his voice loud and close.

Taking the cue, Violet ended the dip, hoisting Arkady back on to her feet with an arm tight around her waist. The officer and Gunawan faced them, a look of consternation on the former and amusement on the latter.

“Oh, I’m sorry, we didn’t think anyone was out here,” said Violet, internally wincing at how her voice had leapt up an octave or two. Her face felt flushed.

A roguish grin sat on Arkady’s face. “Yeah, what Nellie said.”

“Ah, young love, I remember those days.” Gunawan smiled.

An eyebrow on the officer’s face twitched. “You’re not much older than they are.”

“We’ll, uh,” Violet pressed on, gesturing over her shoulder, “just be heading that way.” 

“Wait,” said the officer. She frowned.

The smile on Violet’s face froze.

The officer kept talking. “You dropped your purse.”

She picked it up from the ground, dusting it off and handing it to Violet.

“Oh, right.” Fake-sounding laughter left Violet’s lips and she wouldn’t be surprised to find Arkady glaring daggers at her over it. Violet stepped closer to the officer to take her purse back, her eyes catching on the gleaming row of medals on her chest, and then - huh. A tiny bramble was stuck in the shoulder of her uniform, and when Violet’s gaze travelled to her face to smile in acknowledgement, it found a couple more brambles in that tight bun of hair. And on her face-

“Thanks.” Arkady’s arm wrapped around Violet’s shoulder, turning them back on the path they came from. 

They walked as quickly as they dared back, arms tight around each other, and when they were finally back at the door to the mansion, Violet spoke. “Good thinking, but don’t you think that was a little more dramatic than necessary?”

“Kept you focused on me and not them though,” said Arkady, a hint of smugness to her face.

“It did,” acknowledged Violet. It was surprising, that Arkady would trust Violet to react accordingly in the moment.

“And hey, even managed to spare you my bad breath.” Arkady opened the door, about to enter when Violet stopped her.

“Wait.”

Arkady looked at her questioningly. Violet stepped closer, her hands reaching for Arkady’s collar. Her fingers made quick work of smoothing it down, as well as the ruffled lapels of Arkady’s jacket. “All done.”

“Thanks,” said Arkady softly, her eyes lingering on Violet’s fingers. She slipped into the mansion.

. 

_It felt like a suspicious stroke of luck - Arkady walking right into the kitchen, when she’d spent the past few days dodging any sign of Violet. Violet had the feeling she owed Krejjh and Brian a thing or two._

_Violet knew the evidence at hand lined up in her favor. No real reason for any of the crew to think she’d informed to the IGR about Elion. She asked Arkady anyway._

_It was weird, being believed._

_That might have been the saddest thing about her time on the Rumor thus far, how thrown she was every time one of the others actually considered her arguments instead of dismissing her out of hand. Even Arkady, who’d been annoyed with her from the start._

_After that confirmation, well, it didn’t take much to guide the conversation to the real issue. It made no sense, but Arkady could be a terrible liar at times, and so Violet pressed on._

_“...I’ve got the medical knowledge to go much grosser.” Violet’s nails dug into the underside of the kitchen counter behind her, fingers tightly curled around its edge._

_The amused look on Arkady’s face dropped away entirely. Dull eyes stared at Violet. “I saw your face when you checked that guy’s head. You can’t tell me you were okay with it.”_

_“You’re right.” Violet wasn’t about to lie to Arkady. Besides, Arkady would see right through it, point out the contradictions in Violet’s words like she always did. Violet made no attempt to school her face as she replied. “I wasn’t. I’m not.”_

_Arkady nodded slowly, resignation on her face. “Yeah.”_

_There’s something Violet could say in response. Surely, there had to be._

_Arkady turned away, her footsteps and voice heavy. “Have a good night.”_

_Violet had rehearsed this conversation so many times these past few days. A dozen possible responses flew to her mouth, but now, looking at the defeat in Arkady’s posture as she walked away, all of them seemed far too little. Too colored by pretense. Her well-trained instinct for half-truths had worked well for equivocating with IGR superiors._

_She doubted it’d work with Arkady._

_Then the kitchen door shut, and Arkady was gone, and Violet scrambled to catch up. Brain too fast, body too slow, a familiar failure that smarted every time. By the time she reached the kitchen door, wincing as she slammed it open, the hallway was empty. Half as a joke she looked up, but there wasn’t a vent cover on this part of the ceiling._

_No, Arkady had disappeared the regular way, and there wasn’t a chance Violet would catch up without giving herself away. She sighed. Turned back to the kitchen to check on the sample._

.

Arkady finished up her third plate of appetizers. Annoying that none of the food here would keep long enough to make sneaking it back to the ship worth it. Guess the kind of people who were at these parties didn’t worry about that sort of thing. She plied more food on her plate, making idle conversation with Violet as they both kept an eye on Gunawan’s movements, and when her gaze slipped back to Violet, it caught on her hair.

There was an awkward strand sticking out. Must’ve been like that since the labyrinth, the two of them too distracted with blending back in with the crowd to take any notice of it. Not that it mattered at this point. The party had reached that point where everyone was well-loosened by alcohol and comfort, or in Violet and Arkady’s case, pretending to be. 

Arkady’s fingers twitched with the urge to mess up Violet’s hair even more. She coughed pointedly. “Your-”

“So-” Violet whispered at the same time.

They looked at each other for a second, and left the table of food for a new section of the room. Another useful fact about large parties: Always surprisingly easy to be left alone. Arkady kept her eye on Gunawan, and how he’d flitted to yet another group. LC Martinez was on the opposite side of the room, talking to a different group herself. 

“You first,” said Violet.

“Uh, your hair? There’s a”-Arkady gestured with her free hand. 

Violet’s eyes darted to the right, as if straining could let her see the offending strand. She batted at it ineffectively with the hand holding her purse a couple of times. 

“Let me.” Arkady stepped closer to smooth the strand out, resisting the sense memory of that moment in the labyrinth and stepping back once more. “You’re all set. What did you want to talk about, did you notice something?”

Arkady’s gut told her they weren’t in danger, but Violet had a knack for the small details. Could be useful.

“I don’t think he’s leaking through the officer.” Violet kept her voice low. “I think they’re having an affair.”

“Pretty sure it’s not an affair when neither of them are married or partnered.” No record of Gunawan being in a relationship, and she hadn’t seen a ring on the LC, nor did it seem like she’d come here with anyone. “Wait, what?”

“She had brambles in her hair, her lipstick might have been smudged, but it was hard to tell with how dim the lighting was a-”

“I mean, okay.” Arkady noted Gunawan slipping away from the party into a hallway that led further into the mansion. She looked back at Violet. “But doesn’t that give him even more of an incentive to be leaking? He’s in a relationship with someone in the IGR, that’s surely a reason for him stick on their good side.”

“I don’t know.” Violet frowned. “Something doesn’t add up here.”

“Look, he might seem harmless. But I’d say we both know first-hand people can hide a lot of bullshit under some likeable words, L-Nellie.” Arkady was annoyed at herself at the almost slip. She’d gotten too damn comfortable, and apparently so had Liu if she was thinking Gunawan was clean.

Her annoyance only grew at the return of a familiar voice.

“Fancy running into you two again!” Templeton sounded looser than before. Tipsy, or at least an attempt to give off that impression.

Violet smiled blandly at the reporter. “Jessica, right? How are you enjoying the party?”

“It’s been a lovely time. As usual, of course, Kenneth does know how to throw them.” Templeton’s smile grew conspiratorial. “How did you two enjoy the maze? Couldn’t help notice you slip away into the garden.”

“It’s...constructed nicely,” answered Violet, turning her smile to Arkady, the hidden question in her eyes clear. Templeton had been watching them. 

Templeton laughed, light and airy. “I can’t say I ever noticed the construction of it, all those evenings I spent with Kenneth there back in the day.”

Violet choked on the eclair she was eating. Arkady patted her on the back. Templeton kept rattling on about the hedges and the garden. 

Oldest trick in the book, gaining someone’s trust by revealing a vulnerability of your own. Worked better than outright flattery. The question was, was Templeton digging into Nellie and Lex, or Violet and Arkady? One was inconvenient but easily dealt with. The other meant they should get the hell out of here. Either way, if Templeton was going to keep making her connection to Gunawan clear, they might as well get some intel out of it.

“Sounds like Kenneth’s a lucky man.” Arkady let a rakish grin cross her face. 

“Was.” Templeton gestured with her wine glass for emphasis. “All ancient history now, but his family’s home does make me nostalgic. Speaking of, James! James, over here!”

A tall, gangly man dressed in a waistcoat and tie joined their group, a stylus pen tucked behind his ear. He held a tablet. Once he spoke, Arkady recalled where she’d seen him before. Gunawan had dismissed him before disappearing into the garden with the LC.

“What now, Jessica?” He rolled his eyes, but there was clear affection in his face. 

She swung an arm over his shoulder, bringing him close. “Just some old-school reminiscing with some new friends.”

“Hmm, yes.” His eyes flitted to his tablet screen and then to Violet and Arkady. James stuck out a hand towards them. “James Wu, assistant to Mr Gunawan.”

The usual hand-shaking occurred, Templeton talking over it. “More like the brains of the operation. I’m surprised you have a spare moment to breathe.”

“If you must know, he’s in a meeting now.” 

“But whatever will he do without you there to take notes?” Templeton shot back.

“Mr Gunawan is more than capable of handling matters himself. He”-And here James paused-”also seemed concerned I wasn’t ‘enjoying the party’ enough.”

Deflection. Gunawan didn’t want his assistant around for whatever he was doing and James knew it. Made sense if you were leaking to one side, let alone both.

“James, once you’ve held someone’s hair back while in the restroom of a dingy bar, you can’t call them Mr.” Templeton’s smile grew wider, turning to each of them in turn, and Arkady considered the possibility that the reporter’s motives were simply to ruffle as many feathers as she could in a single night. 

Violet snorted at that, but her eyes were clearly as focused on James as Arkady’s were. 

He cracked an actual smile. “It’s been a while since his hair was that long, Jessica, and I swear there was someone else throwing up right next to him. Her name seems to be escaping me…” 

Templeton let go of him, swatting his shoulder with her hand. James continued speaking, “You started this. Besides, something tells me our new friends have stories of their own to share.”

Satisfaction filled Arkady’s bones at the look on his eyes as they lingered on her. He thought he had her pegged. He had a story in his head of who she was, likely aided by the neatly delivered package of information his tablet had given him, and all she had to do was tell it back to him.

“Oh, this old thing?” Arkady gestured carelessly towards the scar on her face. “Bar fight, sophomore year.”

She felt the weight of Violet’s gaze on her as she delved into the false story. Surprised she hadn’t tried pestering Arkady with a question about her scars before.

It was an annoyingly consistent trait of Liu's, underneath all that snark. Asking simple questions while unprepared for the equally simple answers, acting as if she knew Arkady was a hair's breadth away from sharing the truth as is. Arkady always had a knack for retelling a truthful tale - the same skill-set as telling a good lie, frankly, no matter what Sana might have say to the contrary. Telling Violet the truth would be so easy.

Problem is, the way Liu had looked at her that night in the kitchen?

Arkady didn’t want to give her the damn satisfaction.

And hey, enough of it was public record that Violet could put the pieces of Arkady’s life together herself. Probably already had. Would explain all the goddamn staring. 

Arkady was approaching the tail end of her story - shattered glass, a fight with no real consequences. James’s eyes were as wide as saucers while Templeton took sips of her wine every other sentence, when a broad-shouldered figure in red cut into their group.

“Pardon me, you two,” said Gunawan, a warm smile on his face. “You know how I like to talk to new guests alone.”

.

Violet kept the smile on her face as Jessica and James slipped away into the crowd, and the three of them left went through the usual introductions. She hoped it was a normal smile. Great, she’d be thinking about that for the rest of the night. 

Arkady stepped closer to her, a gentle bump between their bodies that distracted Violet from that particular spiral. She had a satisfied look on her face as she nodded at Gunawan. “Are all your parties this fun? I’ve been missing out.”

“We do try our best.” Gunawan paused, looking them over silently for just a second too long, and a shot of fear spiked through Violet’s chest. Not as big a one as she expected. Maybe that whole terrible conversation with General Frederick had re-calibrated her nervous system’s responses. That would be impressive.

Then Gunawan burst out into a hearty chuckle. “I’m afraid your opinion might be rather biased by those very well-maintained hedges in my garden.”

“It’s a lovely labyrinth,” Violet found herself saying in an even tone, briefly twitching upwards the corner of her mouth.

“Terrible lighting, though.” He rubbed a thumb against his temple. “Can’t tell if we need to replace the bulbs or if it’s already time for another round of running my eyes through those surgeon’s lasers.”

“Surely you can leave that question to James,” commented Arkady dismissively. 

“That’s true,” said Gunawan.

The assistant. If Gunawan was leaking information to both the IGR and to insurgent groups, there was a fair chance his assistant knew something about it. No matter what either group told him about secrecy, it sounded like Gunawan and James went back a long time, and if there was anything her life since the _Iris_ explosion had taught her, it was that personal loyalty could count far more than ideology, on either side.

(She’d also learned you could never re-stock a first aid kit too often, but that seemed less applicable to their current situation.) 

“Enough about me,” he continued, “it’s not often we get visitors from the other side of the galaxy, I simply had to familiarize myself with your work. Especially you, Dr Nelson.”

“Uh, me?” said Violet. Arkady’s cover was the one that had gotten them into this party, Violet’s cover - what was supposed to be Sana’s cover - being mostly irrelevant. Gunawan asking about it, well, that didn’t mean they were in danger yet, and Arkady’s face had hardly shifted from her initial look of disinterest. 

If Arkady wasn’t worried, Violet didn’t need to be worried. Generally a good rule of thumb, she reminded herself.

“Indeed,” His eyes crinkled in genuine interest. _Or he wouldn’t be the first rich guy to be a good liar_ , said a voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Arkady. “Your research area is Quantum Electrodynamic Density Functional Theory, yes?”

“Wow,” said Violet, sincerely impressed. “Most people don’t manage to remember the whole name, let alone say it.”

“I may have practiced a few times.” He flashed a smile. “So, I was reading this editorial in _The New Jupiter Times_ the other day about the theory’s application to new spacecraft, and I’d love to hear the opinion of an actual expert.”

“That’s...definitely fair.” Violet had memorized a soundbite of the field for passing conversation, but she really hadn’t counted on anyone being interested in talking scientific research at this party. A very weird way to have underestimated their target, she thought, gulping down her drink to buy some time. 

She’d understood what “quantum” meant once upon a time in college. What little she retained of that understanding would not hold up under any amount of scrutiny. 

Arkady’s mouth twitched, clearly ready to rescue Violet from this conversation. The resulting flare of irritation snapped something in place for Violet - she was approaching this like how Violet felt obligated to, but Dr Nelson had no such limitations. She could be anyone, anything at all.

Violet picked haughty. “I say this with no disrespect, Mr Gunawan, but I don’t engage with the hacks they let write science editorials in _The Times_. Writers with no background in the field, who think reading a single paper makes them an expert.”

“Besides,” Violet continued, “too much shop talk bores poor Lex out of her mind.”

“What, sorry?” An overly exaggerated look of cluelessness slid onto Arkady’s face. Her tone self-effacing, she said, “Never was much of a science person. All of that goes way over my head.”

“Funny,” said Gunawan, appearing to have taken Violet’s brush-off in his stride, “I was about to say the same to you Ms. Stanton. Finance isn’t my thing.”

Arkady swept her gaze around the mansion they were in and gave him a look.

He shrugged. “This old place? It was my mother’s. Now, she was brilliant. I’m just a man who likes clothes.”

Violet had expected an arrogant man, a man so comfortable in his successes he wouldn’t look twice at them, not a man who seemed inclined to poke fun at himself. _It’s another disarming tactic, don’t be naive, Violet._ This time, the voice was firmly her own. 

“Well, since I’m afraid our various areas of expertise leave us at a loss, could I interest you in a tour of the mansion?” asked Gunawan.

“We wouldn’t want to take you away from your own party,” Violet weakly demurred.

“Nonsense,” he said “my guests entertain themselves. Besides, a wedding is always a good excuse for a new property. Perhaps this’ll give you some ideas on what to look for.” 

“He does have a point, Nellie,” said Arkady. The laziness of her Lex voice was starting to grate on Violet. Irrational or not, she missed the usual transparency of Arkady’s own voice. Violet swallowed, nodding, and the two of them let themselves be led through the crowd to one of the many hallways branching off from the central room.

It was the same hallway he had disappeared into earlier. He led them through it to past room after room filled with antique furniture, the corridors lined with paintings. He spoke of the mansion’s history, Arkady interrupted with occasional questions, and the two of them fell into an easy rapport. Violet mostly tuned them out. 

She had little to contribute to the conversation. She let her eyes wander around as if they were taking in the scenery, idly nodding as she wrangled the facts rattling around in her head.

Fact 1: Someone was leaking information to the IGR, someone who had the same knowledge the insurgents were giving Gunawan.

Fact 2: Gunawan had a personal connection to an IGR officer. Motivation and means to leak. 

Fact 3: His assistant seemed to have his fingertips on everything Gunawan did. Perhaps Arkady could talk to him later, see if she could get any information out of him

Fact 4: Gunawan had isolated them from the rest of the party. If he was the leak, and if he’d figured out that they were with other Violet’s people, that would be an excellent motivation to take care of those two guests.

Quietly swallowing her fear, Violet returned her attention to the other two. Arkady looked extraordinarily interested in Gunawan’s rambling on how space travel affected twenty-first fashion trends. Yet her gaze casually slid between Gunawan’s face, every open door they passed, his hands, and the hallway behind them. 

Arkady had already guessed this could be a threat, she was simply playing along. Again Violet wondered how Arkady did it. Every time her life had been in danger since the Iris explosion, Violet had felt herself swing wildly between sheer panic and defeated acceptance, fumbling for a middle ground she could only sometimes grasp.

“Ah, come into my study,” said Gunawan, stopping in his tracks. “Forget the rubbish they serve out there, the good stuff is in here.”

The three of them entered the room, Gunawan shutting the door behind them. The study was emptier than she expected. There were two desks, chairs behind and terminals on both, but otherwise the room was bare. Gunawan went around the bigger desk, leaning down and the sound of a drawer being pulled open filled the room.

“Alright.” Arkady crossed her arms. “I’m pretty sure you don’t give mansion tours to all your guests. What’s the deal?”

Violet felt her own eyebrows shoot up. 

Gunawan slowly emerged from behind the desk, holding a bottle of liquor and three glasses. He wasn’t smiling anymore. He shook his head. “No deal.”

“Seri-” started Arkady.

“Everyone here,” Gunawan smoothly interrupted, “wants something from me. Money. Power. My approval, like it should mean something to them. I don’t think that’s why the two of you are here.”

“Is us being here for a good party really that much better a reason?” asked Violet.

“It’s certainly a refreshing change,” said Gunawan. 

A series of beeps, each louder than the last, emitted from his watch. He turned his wrist towards himself. He sighed. “Time for my big speech. James is looking for me.”

Violet wondered if the tired look in his eyes was an act too. It was hard to believe in anyone else’s words when you were spending the night lying through your teeth.

“Please,” he said, “feel free to stay and have a drink. Someone ought to enjoy the party.”

When the door shut behind him, Violet and Arkady looked at each other. 

“I gotta admit, I did not expect our guy to dump his mid-life crisis on us.” Arkady had a look of disbelief.

Violet let out a breath, half-way between a laugh and a sigh. “Odds on him bailing on his speech and just retiring to a vacation planet?”

“That’d make our job too easy. I think other Violet might be disappointed, though.”

“Speaking of, I know she said no bold moves, but I definitely kind of want to search this room. None of this makes sense to me.” 

“Welcome to thinking like a common criminal.” Arkady cracked her knuckles.

.

You’d think rich people would have better computer security. Nope, turned out Gunawan and his assistant were about as stupid as the average schmuck when it came to the trade-off between convenience and security. Arkady had left the assistant’s terminal to Violet once she cracked it, focusing her attention on Gunawan’s. 

Emails. Documents. Bank accounts and funds and whatever else people like him slung their money around in. Here was the territory well beyond Arkady’s means to interpret in the short time they had. Not her problem. She slid the data stick out from the pocket in her sock and into a terminal port. A few keyboard strokes and clicks to extract the files other Violet’s people would be interested in, and all they had to do was not get busted in the next few minutes.

Still no sounds from the hallway outside the den. 

“Are we sure this isn’t a trap?” asked Violet, her gaze on the assistant’s terminal screen. “Let us have access to his study, catch us in the act of stealing from him?”

Arkady rummaged through Gunawan’s desk drawers. Violet had already looked, but Arkady needed something to occupy herself with, and the rest of this blindingly stark room wasn’t offering. “It’s not stealing if he gets to keep his files.”

“Somehow I don’t think that nuance holds up in court,” said Violet, irritated. 

As Violet had said, all the drawers had were more glasses and an empty notepad. Arkady shut the last drawer. Glance up at the screen showed that the download was done, so out came the data stick.

“If we end up in court, we have so much more to worry about than an Earth billionaire. I recommend not thinking about it.” Arkady went over to the assistant’s terminal, holding up the data stick. “Can I?”

Violet nodded, rolling with her chair out of the way. “I think I found a folder that-”

“No need.” Arkady repeated the usual steps, only half-paying attention to Violet. “Looks like the assistant’s terminal is about the same as Gunawan’s, I’ve got enough space for his last six months of emails and everything on his local storage.”

“In that tiny thing?”

“We spend most nights sleeping in a metal can barrelling through the cold vacuum of space. You really gonna draw the line at data storage tech?”

“Point taken.” Violet’s voice wandered further away, sounding more irritated with every word. “So you were just giving me something to do?”

“Yeah,” said Arkady absent-mindedly. It was Violet’s decision to take part in the mission, Violet’s decision to search the den, so Arkady gave up solving the mystery of Violet’s growing annoyance. Far more entertaining to contemplate if she should have gone for the whole cybercriminal life in the first place, instead of smuggling. Nah. 

The download done, Arkady slipped the stick back into her sock. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Let’s,” replied Violet stiffly. 

Arkady checked the hallways were clear before gesturing for Violet to follow her out of the room. They retraced their steps. Arkady instinctively reached out to hold Violet’s hand, but thought better of it, shoving her hand into a jacket pocket. Violet didn’t seem to notice, her gaze distant and silent through their walk. 

No one in these empty hallways to fool, after all. No need to make Liu uncomfortable for no good reason.

They turned the last corner. Almost home free. Get back to the party, mingle for a bit, get out. They were five feet from the opening to the main party room when two figures in black suits stepped in front of it, one tall and one short, their backs facing Arkady and Violet. Judging from their gaits and postures, they were armed under those jackets.

Arkady and Violet froze. Shit. The sound of Violet’s shaky breathing filled Arkady’s ears. Not like they were in this part of the mansion without Gunawan’s permission, but she did not want to count on a couple of guards buying that or on Gunawan vouching for them. Could play the clueless idiot used to things going their way and claim ignorance.

She glanced at Violet’s face, the better to judge whether their next move should be lying or retreating. Violet met her eyes, her nose and forehead scrunched up in determination. Good, could trust that Violet would follow her-

Violet grabbed Arkady by the lapels and shoved her back against the wall. The thud of the impact echoed through the hallway. What the hell, was Violet trying to get them caught? A brief apologetic look crossed Violet’s face, and before Arkady could look anywhere else, Violet was kissing her.

Smart, Liu, very smart. The kiss wasn’t gentle, which would only help their cover, and while it started clumsy, Violet soon found her footing, especially once Arkady started kissing back a little. Violet’s knuckles dug into Arkady’s chest through the layers of cloth, her grip still tight on the jacket, pressing Arkady against the wall.

Arkady focused her attention on what she could hear, her other senses a little distracted. Footsteps were approaching close. No sound of weapons drawn. She let Violet continue the kiss, let her own hands rest on Violet’s back.

An annoyed cough sounded right next to them. Violet broke the kiss, looking up at Arkady with a soft smile. A pang of grief hit Arkady in the chest. It sucked, knowing what it was like to kiss Violet and knowing it would never happen again, and it sucked that she was thinking about her stupid feelings when there were guards right next to them. 

“Didn’t know you had it in you, sweetheart,” Arkady breathed out. She kept her gaze on Violet, letting her disbelief show on her face. 

Violet’s eyes darted to the side. Time to face the guards. The short one, a round-faced woman with crossed arms scowled at them. “Gunawan mentioned you two would be out soon. You can move along now.”

In a much higher-pitch than her natural voice, Violet started rambling. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I-”

“Lady, I don’t give a fuck,” said the woman, pointing back over her shoulder with her thumb, “just get back to where the rest of the guests are.”

“Will do.” Arkady beamed. The two of them slipped out of the hallway and back into the mass of people swirling about.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry,” said Violet under her breath so only Arkady would hear her. “They looked like they were about to turn and I panicked.”

“Do you see me complaining, Nellie?” Arkady muttered back, “You got us out of there. Anyway, I’d say it’s time for us to leave the party.” 

“Definitely,” agreed Violet.

They managed to leave the mansion without running into anyone. The two of them walked arm-in-arm back to the car. Arkady couldn’t remember how that had happened, her attention too focused on any possible threats as they made their exit.

It was a good way to keep Violet close, Arkady rationalized. They finally reached the car, and Arkady unlinked her arms to step forward and unlock the door for Violet. She fumbled a little with the lock, the darkness of the night and her own distracted thoughts working against her. Shit, she needed to get a grip on herself. She could save the moping for when they were safe on the ship. 

“Alex,” said Violet’s voice in a calm voice behind her.

Not a mistake Violet would make. Arkady dropped to a knee, ripping off the gun she’d taped to the undercarriage of the car, spinning around and ready to aim.

There was a knife against Violet’s throat, fear plain on her face, and when Arkady’s gaze followed the arm holding the knife, she found a familiar face.

“None of that now, Ms Stanton,” said Gunawan’s assistant, a deadly look in his eyes. “Or should I say, Arkady Patel?”

.

Kenneth Gunawan’s mansion had a guesthouse. Perhaps not what Violet should be paying attention to, given the circumstances that had led her to said guesthouse. There was still a knife held in front of her throat, and the strain of the jovial mask Arkady wore was blindingly evident to Violet.

“James-” started Arkady.

“Who have you told? Who? Answer me or-or I’ll...” James trailed off. Sweat was gathering under where his other hand gripped Violet’s shoulder. _He’s nervous_ , Violet realized, _he’s never done something like this before._ Violet didn’t know if that increased or decreased her chances of survival. 

“James,” continued Arkady, speaking as if they were all mingling back at the party, as if she wasn’t unarmed since James made her ditch the gun back at the car. “I know you want to protect Kenneth, I understand, he’s your friend. But think about what you’re doing.”

“Protect him?” James laughed. A short, ugly sound, the exhaled breath rushing past Violet’s hair. “You think that idiot knows anything about me being the source of the leaks? He’s already chosen his side, and even if he didn’t, like hell I’d let him take a cut of the profits like he has everything else.”

A slight tremor took over the hand holding the knife. Too far away for Arkady to notice, probably, but it lodged in Violet’s brain as yet another piece of evidence that James was far from trained. The memory of holding a gun to Sana came to Violet, the feeling of cold, unfamiliar metal against her skin. An unhelpful thought. Violet buried the memory.

James working alone. Of course, the assistant who never got enough credit, who would have something to gain by leaking to the IGR when Gunawan gained little and risked too much by playing double-agent. In retrospect, it made perfect sense. Far too much did.

“Answer my question,” said James, his voice sounding stronger, “Who have you told?”

Arkady’s mouth parted a little. _No one_ , she could say, but then James had little incentive to leave either of them alive, if he could steel himself to the task. Bile rose in Violet’s throat and she swallowed it down. 

“No one,” said Violet, wincing when James’s grip on her shoulder tightened, “but we had a third person attending the party. You don’t know their cover or you wouldn’t have only come after us.”

“How do you know I didn’t already take care of them?” asked James.

“Then what’s their name?” responded Arkady, playing along with Violet’s stalling tactic. God did Violet hope Arkady had some kind of solution for the physical predicament Violet was in, because Violet was still racking her head for clues on that one. Hey, she thought hysterically, at least she got to kiss Arkady before she died. Could tick that one off. The corner of Arkady’s mouth pulled up into a half-smile. “Real or fake, I’ll take either.”

James’s silence proved he’d taken the bait. 

“They don’t know anything about you,” said Violet, her voice unnaturally distant even to herself, “but they’re going to come looking for us if we don’t show at our meeting place in ten minutes.”

“You,” he barked at Arkady, “call them then. Tell them there’s going to be a delay, that there’s nothing to worry about. Make it believable.” He pressed the flat side of the knife against Violet’s throat. 

Arkady snorted. “Did you forget your boss’s party rules? Our comms are in the car.” 

Another awkward silence before James spoke again. “Use mine. Slowly walk towards me with your hands up, no tricks.”

“Easy enough.” An unworried look sat on Arkady’s face as she followed James’s instructions. She even made eye contact with Violet for a brief second as if to say “hey, remember the last time you saw me do this?” It was bizarrely reassuring. 

“Stop,” said James. “You can use your left hand to unhook the comms from my ear. Do anything else and I’ll-I’ll slit your friend’s throat.”

Arkady’s hand reached out. Violet followed its path with her eyes, when she noticed the pressure her against her throat was lessening. That didn’t make sense, not with the threat he just gave, though maybe it was a nervous tick or Violet imagining things.

Then Violet’s throat felt nothing at all, and she saw the knife swing out towards Arkady and her hand reacted without thought or reason, grabbing the blade. Oh, Jesus. Her eyes bulged out from the shock of the pain, the metal edge cutting into her palm. The knife was caught in tension between her grip and his.

James let out a cry of surprise. Arkady looked on in horror. That was when Violet realized what she’d done, and in one clumsy movement she let go of the blade, pushed herself forward, shaking her shoulder free of James’s grip and barrelling towards the ground. 

Behind her, as she ungainly rolled across the floor, the sound of grunts and thuds filled the room. Arkady was finally free from having to worry about Violet being in the way. Violet came to a stop as her shoulder slammed into the side of a sofa, jarring her arm. She sat up against the sofa.

Her hands had instinctively tightened into fists while she rolled, and when she uncurled the injured one, wincing past the pain, it was covered in blood, more still gushing out of the cut across her palm. Okay. She kept herself calm. How bad it looked didn’t mean much of anything. First priority was pressure to stop the bleeding. She rubbed her fingers against the material of her dress - soft and smooth to the touch. So she screwed her face up in focus and pressed part of it against her bleeding palm, a soft sound of pain leaving her once it made contact.

Heavy breaths escaped her. No more sounds of grunts and thuds. Forget her hand, now that the panic had faded away a little, priority one should have been making sure Arkady wasn’t getting murdered. Her head snapped up.

She relaxed. Arkady had James pinned to the ground, sitting on his back and tying his hands together with a tie - she was still wearing hers so that had to be his - and his face rested against the floor facing away from Violet, unmoving like the rest of his body. The bloody knife lay on the ground a few feet away. Arkady didn’t look like she had gotten injured.

“Neither of us got stabbed.” Arkady pulled tight on a final knot, hopping off him to her feet. “He fainted as soon as I pinned him to the ground, I guess out of fear of what the big bad criminal was gonna do to him.”

She hurried towards Violet, pulling out her pocket square and shaking it loose. “Let me see your hand. Is it okay for me to-” She gestured with the pocket square and crouched down beside her.

Violet nodded tightly. She shifted the already soaked section of her dress off her hand. Arkady hissed, peering close as she tightly wrapped the cloth around Violet’s hand and tied it off. It was a good job, the pressure firm against the wound, would last till they got back to the ship and Violet could take a look in the _Iris’s_ medbay. 

She leaned back against the sofa, her head leaning over and down on the armrest. She stared at the ceiling unsteadily. 

“Liu. Liu, still here? V-”

“What?” Violet said. Moving her head seemed like an insurmountable task. She did it anyway, meeting Arkady’s worried gaze. “Sorry. I’m not in any real danger. The pain’s making it a little hard to think. I’ll be fine once the bleeding stops, the cut wasn’t too bad.”

“Wasn’t too bad? I-” Arkady cut herself off, seemingly frustrated for a second before her look turned into one of amusement. “Don’t really need your blade-grabbing protection, Liu, I could’ve dodged that.”

Sounded hypocritical. Sounded like something she’d say even if it was false. Another burst of pain clouded Violet’s mind. She mumbled, “Reflexes.”

Maybe Violet was imagining it, but something in Arkady’s face softened. The pain faded away again. 

“C’mon,” said Arkady, standing up, “you can lean on me.”

“My legs work fine,” Violet snapped. She stood up. She was only a little injured. She’d seen Arkady stagger through far worse. 

A flash of hurt crossed Arkady’s face. Another trick of the light. Arkady spun on her heel and marched to the door, pressing down on the handle. “Shit.”

“What?”

“It’s locked. And I didn’t see how he locked it, did you?”

“No.”

Arkady’s face twisted in irritation. She paced towards James, bending down to rummage through his pockets. Her voice light, “Liu, I swear, one of these days you’re going to put me out of business when it comes to talking to the people trying to kill us.”

Violet flinched. “You know,” she said, unable to keep the resentment out of her voice, “you don’t have to keep digging it in.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“Clearly, you think I’m incompetent.”

“What.” This time, Arkady stopped what she was doing and looked at Violet from across the room, as if she were seeing her for the first time. 

Oh, god, Violet was on a roll now which meant the words were going to keep coming and she was too tired to stop them from doing so. “Not on the ship. Obviously I’ve patched you up enough times for that. I mean, jobs like this.” Violet dropped to sit on the sofa, talking more to herself than Arkady, her gaze fixed on the floor. “I know I messed up on New Jupiter, okay, that I couldn’t keep my mouth shut when she was hurting you, that-”

“Liu-” tried Arkady.

Violet kept going. “I shouldn’t have let it shake me, like you said. And tonight, I let him get the jump on me even though we were almost out of here, and then I grabbed the blade like an idiot and that could have ended so much worse. Do you know how many tendons there are in the human hand? Maybe you’re right.”

Violet finally lifted her head back up again to look at Arkady. Arkady stood closer now, a foot away from the sofa, her arm outstretched as if to grab or pat Violet’s shoulder but like she’d changed her mind halfway through, her tension-filled hand frozen in the air.

“Liu.” Arkady’s hand dropped to her side. “I gotta admit, I’ve definitely thought some less than flattering things about you, but incompetent has never been one of them. Your whole life got overturned and you just...kept going. Do you have any idea how many people would’ve just given up?”

Violet tried, “The ge-”

“No one expected you to react perfectly to the major general herself.” Arkady scoffed. “She’s a real piece of work and you’re a civilian. You did a fucking impressive job there.”

Violet blinked. “Then why were you so insistent about me not replacing Sana on this job?”

“It’s a long time to-”

“I remember the reasons you told everyone two weeks ago, Arkady. Please don’t treat me like an idiot. What’s the real reason?”

Arkady opened her mouth and closed it. She looked off to the side. “I should try the door again, maybe I can figure out how to pick the lock.”

“Oh,” said Violet. Really? After all this time, the months that had passed. “Is this still about Elion?”

The look on Arkady’s face was all the confirmation she needed.

“You saw me stab the major general with a syringe full of Heptocaldrin. You helped me do that.” Violet’s voice was deadly and soft. “I agreed to a plan that we knew would kill several IGR agents.” 

“There’s a difference,” said Arkady. She said nothing else, her face filled with exhaustion. 

God, it was stupid and silly of Violet, and maybe the difference only existed in her head, but she missed the way Arkady had talked to her before that night in the kitchen. Open about herself even when she thought Violet would think worse of her for it. Being resented for in advance for a predicted bad reaction beat being told nothing at all.

“Not to me.” Violet pressed harder on her cloth-bound hand. “We both have blood on our hands.”

“Liu.” Arkady snorted, an incredulous look on her face. “Stop bullshitting. Stop rationalizing. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Wha-? What do you think I’m “bullshitting” about?” Violet lifted her uninjured hand to pull off the air-quotes. 

“You saw me grab a guy’s head and slam it into the floor multiple times. That’s a little more visceral than an explosion and gunshots in the distance. You told me, to my face, you weren’t okay with it, and you clearly aren’t, because you keep staring at me when you think I’m not looking, like I’m a ticking time bomb. So, yeah, I didn’t want you on this job, because it could have been a hell of a lot uglier than some weedy assistant, and I didn’t-” Arkady let a breath out, running a hand through her hair.

“You didn’t want me to see that,” finished Violet.

“Yeah,” said Arkady, her voice small. She gingerly stepped forward and sat on the opposite end of the sofa from Violet, fiddling with comms she must have taken from James. The comms looked broken beyond repair.

_I didn’t want you to think even less of me than you already do,_ Arkady didn’t need to say. The sweetness of the sentiment crossed with the sadness at Arkady thinking it in the first place. It was an uncomfortable mixture, but Violet’s mind stuck on a different part of Arkady’s rant.

“I think I get to decide with what I’m okay with seeing.” Violet turned to face Arkady, folding her legs up to sit cross-legged on the sofa. She couldn’t believe she was about to say this. “And, um, the staring? It’s got nothing to do with Elion. You just...have very distracting arms.”

Arkady raised an eyebrow. Her voice slow, she said, “Still not used to someone wearing several gun holsters? That’s fair.”

Violet groaned. She pressed her face into the back of the sofa. Apparently the two of them still had new levels of failing to communicate to reach. Great. Maybe this was a sign she should keep her mouth shut.

“Uh, you okay? Is your hand giving you trouble?” Arkady scooted closer across the sofa, her hands hovering over Violet’s once more.

“Sorry. Just tired.” Violet weakly smiled, turning her face so half of it was visible once more. Arkady didn’t seem convinced. “I promise, the injury isn’t too bad, you don’t have to worry.” 

“I’ll get us out of here,” said Arkady.

“Wait,” said Violet.

Arkady looked at her expectantly. Her hair was back to its usual messiness, and there was a new openness to her eyes. _No bold moves_. Screw that. Violet’s uninjured hand darted forth and tugged firmly on Arkady’s tie.

It fell off. The soft material of the tie brushed against the back of Violet’s hand, and for a second all Violet could do was stare in disbelief.

“What?” Violet gestured wildly, the tie swinging with the movement. “Why are you wearing a clip-on tie?”

“There’s always a chance of me getting in a fight, I’m not going to walk around with an easy way for someone to strangle me,” explained Arkady as easily as one might explain how two plus two equals four. “Why-”

The door burst open.

Arkady leapt to her feet, sliding between Violet and the entrance. Violet stuck her head out to the side to get a better look.

It was Gunawan and the IGR officer, their gazes shifting from tied-up James to Arkady who now had her fists up to Violet on the sofa. 

“Ah,” said Gunawan, “good, you took care of him.”

.

In the grand scheme of things, Arkady should probably be grateful for the revelation that LC Martinez had been leaking to Gunawan and not the other way around. Nope. She was annoyed. Their covers had been useless, Gunawan had merely thought it would be wise for them to confirm for themselves he wasn’t leaking, and he’d already started to suspect James. 

All that risk and Violet injured, for nothing. 

Next time other Violet’s people had a job for them, Arkady would be asking a lot more questions about their intel. 

“I didn’t think he’d actually hurt anyone,” Gunawan said, after his explanation.

Violet wasn’t the first person he’d hurt, thought Arkady, thanks to all the intel he’d been leaking. Violet’s expression said she was thinking the same thing. Figured Gunawan’s perspective would be skewed like that. Not that Arkady gave a crap.

“Well, he did,” said Arkady, pissed. “Maybe next time, keep a better eye on the guy betraying you. You need anything else from us?”

“Do you?” Gunawan shot a worried look at Violet’s hand. “There are some doctors here I could call on.”

“I’m fine. The bleeding stopped, I’m well out of the danger zone.” Violet smiled tightly. Bet she was tired of saying that by now. Her face no longer looked deathly pale, and that was reassuring, that she wasn’t about to keel over. Because that’d be inconvenient. What would she tell the others? Hey guys, don’t mind the unconscious Violet I’m holding, I just, you know, happened to let a guy with a knife take a swipe at her. 

Arkady shook her head to clear her thoughts. Violet was fine. She indicated for Violet to go ahead of her, trailing after her to the door.

“Wait,” said LC Martinez.

Violet and Arkady’s heads snapped towards her. LC Martinez had been mostly silent through Gunawan’s animated explanation of the facts, interjecting with clarifying details, the steely expression on her face never changing. Fine by Arkady. Neither her or Violet felt great about sitting across from an IGR officer. 

“Hand it over, Patel,” said LC Martinez, her arm outstretched. Her dark eyes were unflinching. 

Shit. Would’ve been too good to hope for that. Arkady rolled her eyes, slipping the data stick out of her sock and tossing it at Martinez.

Martinez snatched it out of the air. Her forearm tensed, and for a second Arkady wondered if she’d gone too far in pissing her off. Then her arm relaxed, and she smoothly tucked the data stick into Gunawan’s breast pocket. He looked utterly befuddled. Martinez’s lips quirked. “I’d say you ought to do a better job of security, Ken, but I’ve seen her records. We’re lucky she’s on our side.”

Arkady scoffed. Sure, whatever kept Martinez comfortable. 

Gunawan stepped towards his still tied up assistant, who’d started to regain consciousness. The assistant blinked, scowling as soon as he caught sight of Gunawan. “You’re making a mistake, Ken. The IGR doesn’t look kindly on traitors.”

For the first time, anger crossed Gunawan’s face. He crouched down. “Nor do I.”

“I made you,” said James, spite filling his voice.

“We made each other. I always thought you knew that.” Gunawan sounded distant. “You could have talked to me, told me you figured out what I was doing.”

This was definitely drama they didn’t need to hear. Arkady shot Martinez a questioning look, and she waved her hand dismissively towards Violet and Arkady. Finally, they were free to go.

A sense of relief permeated Arkady as they left the guesthouse and the mansion behind them, and the tension seemed to leave Violet’s shoulders. She reached her hand up to adjust her tie, a fallback reflex of Lex’s, only for her hands to come up empty. 

Right. Her eyes shot to Violet, who was holding the tie and fiddling with the cloth absentmindedly. That was something to deal with. Or stubbornly ignore, was the more tempting option. A lot had happened tonight, she could excuse Liu for some minor accessory theft, that terrible moment of false hope. Forgive and forget. Water under the bridge. Other trite idioms.

“Do we count that as a win?” asked Violet. She seemed more miffed at having to hand over the data stick than at having been injured.

Arkady’s eyes wandered to Violet’s injured hand. Looked like Violet’s assessment was right, the pocket square-turned-bandage didn’t look like it had gotten soaked more in the past several minutes, and Violet wasn’t wincing nearly as often anymore. Arkady exhaled. “Liu, we’re alive. I think we get to count that as a win.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you take the optimistic perspective.” Violet slowed to a stop as they reached the car.

Arkady opened a car door, bending her head down into it so she could grab her comms. Her voice muffled, she said, “I’m full of surprises.” 

“That you are,” said Violet, a strange tone to her voice. “I can’t belie-”

Violet’s voice stopped. Adrenaline rushing through Arkady’s body, she spun around, narrowly avoiding hitting her head. 

No sign of danger. The only thing visible was Violet, standing on the street with her mouth open as she stared at the tie in her hands. It was streaked with Violet’s blood. A look of regret came over Violet’s face, as her gaze went from the tie to Arkady.

Arkady slowly extricated herself from the car. “So, uh, think I finally figured out why you grabbed my tie. And that, uh, you weren’t talking about my gun holsters.”

“Oh,” said Violet, “Cool.”

“Cool,” repeated Arkady. 

The two of them looked at each other, uncharacteristically silent for an awkward moment. Arkady leaned back against the car and swallowed. Against her better judgement, she said, “Really?”

“Yeah, really,” Violet breathed out. 

“You sure? It’s not just the blood loss?” Arkady couldn’t help the smile that was threatening to show, and the lessening panic in Violet’s eyes with every word she spoke didn’t help. “Did you hit your head at some point tonight when I wasn’t looking? Is this Stockholm Syndrome from having to pretend to be my fiancée tonight?”

Arkady had several more options to throw out, but Violet interrupted then, a playful smile on her lips. “Trust me, I have zero interest in Lex Stanton.”

“She’s an ass.” Arkady paused, giving Violet a knowing look. “Can’t say Arkady Patel’s too much better.”

Violet shrugged. “I’ve gotten pretty used to her.”

_I could get used to you_ , thought Arkady, unbidden. 

“Besides,” said Violet, looking a little smug, “I already know you’re an okay kisser.”

Arkady’s jaw dropped. “Just okay?”

Unmoved, Violet said, “I said what I said.”

“You jumped me in the middle of a hallway while I was thinking about guards,” grumbled Arkady. “Lucky I didn’t lose any teeth.”

Violet simply looked at her, an unspoken challenge in her eyes. Oh, if that’s how they were gonna play this, Arkady was game. She pushed off the car to close the gap between their bodies, her hands slowly finding Violet’s waist. Plenty of time for Liu to change her mind.

She didn’t. Violet met Arkady halfway, the two of them sinking into a kiss far less frantic that the one in the mansion. Arkady kept an ear out, of course, but there were no footsteps approaching, the cool night breeze barely making a sound. Only the two of them. 

At the feeling of Violet’s bandaged hand against her neck, Arkady reluctantly broke the kiss, looking at Violet. “Did that qualify as better than okay?”

“Hard to say,” said Violet, looking very serious. “I believe this calls for further research.”

Arkady gave her a look.

“Too corny?” asked Violet, sheepish. 

“Maybe,” said Arkady, “but I’m very much in favour of, uh, ‘this research’ continuing.”

She stepped back to let Violet enter the car, and went around it to enter the driver’s side. Arkady took off her suit jacket and threw it in the back seat. Damn was it nice to be able to actually move her arms again. And to be properly armed, she thought, retrieving one of her holsters to strap it back on with a gun. 

Violet exhaled at the sight, and for the first time, Arkady read it as relief, not fear. Arkady wrapped her hands around the wheel. “Call Tripathi while I drive?”

“Of course,” said Violet. They drove off into the night, and Arkady wondered exactly how mad other Violet would be at them for ignoring her instructions. Not that she cared too much about that now, as they updated the crew over the comms, keeping the conversation focused on the job and Violet’s injury.

After all, Arkady thought after catching Violet’s eyes, the two of them smiling like idiots while still on the line with the crew, some things were better said in person. 

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to eggshrimproll for the beta, any remaining mistakes are my own. Credit to hbar for having an immediate answer when I asked her "Hey, do you know any physics research fields that sounds really complicated and also has the word quantum?"
> 
> As always, I can be found on tumblr and dreamwidth at jaggedwolf.


End file.
